1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to powered polishing apparatus and more particularly to a powered polishing apparatus utilized in polishing large non-uniform surfaces such as the fuselage and wings of aircraft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Power driven polishing apparatus have been available for numerous years due to the fact that hand polishing is very tedious, time consuming and depending upon the size of the surface being polished can be prohibitive merely from a human endurance standpoint. To remedy this practical problem, numerous power driven polishers have been developed for specific uses with some polishers utilizing a rotating disk having a circular polishing pad secured thereto while others have utilized a rotating drum having a cylindrical polishing pad thereon.
On large contoured surfaces such as found on the fuselage and wings of aircraft, the rotating drum type polisher has been found to be reasonably satisfactory. The rotating drum is typically air driven, i.e., mounted on pneumatic motors, and is positioned on the end of an elongated handle so that it can reach surfaces at a substantial distance from the individual operating the polisher. An example of a drum type polisher of the type typically used for polishing aircraft surfaces is shown in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 262,670 issued Jan. 19, 1982 to Martin Wellin. This type of polisher is typified by an elongated hollow handle through which high-pressure air is delivered to the inlet port of a pneumatic motor on which the rotating polishing pad is mounted and the exhaust from the pneumatic motor is immediately adjacent to the motor itself. Since lubricating fluids are frequently entrained in the high-pressure air to lubricate the motor, the same fluids are exhausted at a location immediately adjacent to the polishing pads as well as the surface on which the polishing work is being conducted. It will, therefore, be appreciated that undesired lubricating fluids will frequently get onto the polishing pads as well as the surface being polished creating a continuous need for changing the polishing pads and also deterring from efficient polishing of the surface.
Another drawback with prior art drum type polishers resides in the fact that they only have a single rotating drum which tends to pull itself across the surface being polished thereby requiring the operator to resist the movement which increases the required energy that is expended by the operator. In addition, due to the fact that the exhaust air is not muffled and is vented from the apparatus at a location immediately adjacent to the pneumatic motor, the polisher is relatively loud in operation.
As can be appreciated, the prior art, while providing systems for polishing large non-uniform surfaces, has not provided a system that is as efficient and acoustically desirable as is desired. It is to satisfy the shortcomings in the prior art systems that the present invention has been developed.